Prior art processes teach elimination of nitrates, but such elimination is relatively slow and there are few processes that can be utilized for industrial waste waters. These prior art processes are used mainly for denitrification of urban effluents having minimal nitrate concentration about 100 mg/l. Higher concentrations, above 3.5 g/l nitric nitrogen, have slow denitrification rates on the order of 1 to 1.5 mg nitrogen per liter per hour.
Moreover, such denitrification is performed with an uncontrolled complex flora, and consequently, denitrification capacities of a reactor are difficult to predict.